


Phoenix's Story

by Alablast



Series: Sara's Story [4]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Multi, Sara's Story, Story series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-05-31 06:26:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19420330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alablast/pseuds/Alablast
Summary: The story of a baby Trapinch taking his place on Sara's team.





	1. Phoenix's Story - Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wrap up of what took place between Sonata's story and this one, told from the slightly biased viewpoint of this story's main character.

My name, from the very moment I hatched, was _Phoenix_. Those were the first words I heard - my trainer, Sara, overjoyed that I had finally hatched and gifting me with a name from out of legends.

The name was a sign of the strong Pokemon she knew I would be. A phoenix was a giant bird of fire, and a single flap of its blazing wings could destroy a city, setting fire to forests and boiling oceans. It could fly from one end of the world to the other, without ever having to set down once to rest.

At first I hadn't understood why I had been given the name. As a Trapinch, I was nothing like a bird - I was a ground type, without any wings or fire abilities. But Sonata told me I was given the name because Sara had seen my father's heroic feats. I knew my trainer was brilliant and kind, and could obviously see I would be just as strong as him, so I knew she must have given me the legendary name for that reason, knowing I would have the same mythical strength of my father. Sonata told me the story several times, especially before bedtime.

A strong Pokemon had invaded the desert my father watched over, and had summoned an endless blizzard, one that would kill everything it touched. A water Pokemon - Kirii, a Milotic who now traveled with John - rose to fight it, summoning a storm of water that would have proved just as deadly to the desert lands my father lived in. So he rose to fight them both, calling forth a ferocious sandstorm with his wings, beating back the rain and ice.

The fighting lasted for weeks, as the three great Pokemon battled each other for control of the skies. Kirii tried to fight the blizzard head on, seeking out the Pokemon behind it directly, but the Pokemon was guarded by a vicious Sneasel who drove Kirii away and protected the blizzard.

Kirii retreated to her home, which was when my trainer found her. She helped the injured Milotic and convinced her to stop the rain. Kirii went with John - I never understood that myself, but I guess she thought Sara was _too_ strong already, and felt sorry for John - and then together they went to stop the blizzard.

They easily defeated the Sneasel bodyguard, and John captured him. John declared the Sneasel was black, and white, and red all over, and as such would be known by the name ‘Book’.

I’m glad I’m not one of John’s Pokemon. From my conversations with Book, he’s not too happy with the name either, but he puts up with it.

After that they tracked down the Pokemon causing the storm.

It was a Froslass, a ghost; it had come from the nearby mountain and brought its icy blizzard with it. Sara and John fought it in the very heart of its own blizzard, fighting back with rain and sun, through night and day… until they finally defeated it.

The blizzard evaporated as the Froslass fled. Sara and John were triumphant and celebrated their victory in the rapidly warming desert… but my father had died before they had arrived. The Froslass had originally wandered the desert, making it hard to pin down in the fierce blizzard, but my father's death had drawn the ghost to the place of his passing. When the storm cleared Sara saw my father’s body just a few feet from where they had been battling, the heavy snow hiding him from view. Sara felt sad for him and decided to give him a burial in the sand dune he had fallen on. Her Pokemon helped, moving the freezing sand aside as they dug a hole to place his body in…

And in so doing, they found my egg.

Sara finished burying my father and took my egg with her. She wrapped my egg in the heavy parka she had worn to brave the snow with, no longer needing it now that the Froslass had been vanquished but worried that my egg was cold. John found a stunned Sandshrew nearby, capturing it and bringing it with him - he declared it would be called ‘Lucky’, for being fortunate enough to be discovered by him and not perishing in the snowstorm - and the two trainers left the desert.

They continued on their journey, proving their strength by defeating countless other trainers, and earning four other badges, bringing their total to _six_ before summer ended and they had to return home for school…

And that was when I hatched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the interesting things (at least I think it's interesting) about the Pokemon games is the game mechanic of natures. This is a part of an individual Pokemon that affects its stats - a Pokemon with a 'careful' nature will have a stronger special defense against special attacks, such as most fire attacks, but dish out weaker special attacks of his own. A 'quiet' nature Pokemon will be slower than otherwise, but be much better at special attacks herself. And a rash Pokemon would be stronger with special attacks than otherwise, but be less prepared to deal with special attacks sent her way.
> 
> Those specific examples were not picked at random, and I hope I've done a good job of threading those into the character's personalities. A quiet Cherubi who doesn't say much might not react very quickly to a wave of water rushing at her, but she would be very good at 'special' abilities like filling the sky with sunlight. A careful Umbreon, worried about how what he does will affect those he cares about, might not dish out as much damage, but he's well prepared to stand in front of another Pokemon and withstand the wave of water thrown at him. And a rash Espeon, one nervous about approaching humans but listening to her stomach instead, or aware that running around in the woods is a danger but willing to dive in and fight a stronger opponent instead of fleeing, or willing to endlessly annoy a Nidoran just because the thought popped into her head, even though he might be the only company she would otherwise have - even if it was tempered over time by her trainer, that Espeon would be much stronger at using her signature attacks, but less prepared to withstand them.
> 
> When it comes to Trapinch, and Vibrava, and Flygon, the *best* nature you can get is an 'adamant' nature. That nature makes a Pokemon much stronger with physical attacks - of which Trapinch has plenty - but weaker with special attacks - which Trapinch has few of. But while in the game a trainer might want that nature, I've always wondered how you would deal with such a Pokemon in reality. A Pokemon so certain he was right, and unwilling to back down or listen to others; a bullheaded Pokemon willing to charge right in because he was completely certain of himself?
> 
> Sounds like a nightmare of a Pokemon.
> 
> Which is going to be a lot of fun for a story, isn't it? :D


	2. Phoenix's Story - Chapter 2

I grinned up at the three other Pokemon, staring at two head on and watching the third from the corner of my eye. A Mareep and an Aron stood across from me, and a Wartortle stretched in place beside me. I had met the Wartortle a few times before and knew he could pack a punch; I would have to be careful around him. The Aron glared back at me; his head was covered in that plating, but I was sure he was smirking at me.

Let him. I would wipe that smirk off his… out from under his… he wouldn't be smirking for long, that was for sure.

We glared at each other and I noticed the Mareep take a nervous step to the side, away from us. I wasn't going to let that distract me from staring down the Aron, but I did let it add to my grin.

Finally I heard my trainer call out from behind me. "Phoenix, use Sand Tomb!" I felt a surge of excitement at Sara's words. Sand Tomb would be _perfect_ for that Aron; if I was lucky it would get a bunch of sand under the plating too. I bet that would be a pain to get out from under there.

I was already starting to rise upwards to start the attack when Sara's next words reached me. "Take out that Mareep!"

I blinked, hesitating. Take out the Mareep? But… the Mareep would be no challenge at all; why would I waste any time on it? The Aron was the real threat, the real problem to deal with. No - Sara must have been talking to that other trainer, giving him advice for what to do with his Wartortle. That made much more sense; obviously any other trainers would want advice from a great trainer like her.

I refocused on the Aron and slammed down on the ground. Dirt and sand flew up around the Aron, shrouding it and obscuring us from its sight. A stream of water flew in from beside me, slamming into the Aron and knocking it back, knocking it _out_ of the fountain of sand.

I sighed at seeing much of my attack go to waste, but it just convinced me of how dangerous the Aron must be. If the other trainer had ignored the advice of Sara to join her in going after it, then it must be really serious. Maybe that's why Sara had told him to go after the Mareep; only a strong Pokemon like myself could handle such an opponent. The Wartortle would probably be badly hurt in a fight with it.

I heard the air crackle as the Mareep hurled electricity at us, but it landed harmlessly off to my side. I stayed focused on the Aron and saw him rushing at me. A headbutt attack. It hit me dead on in my side… but it didn't hurt much. Not to me, anyways.

I wasn't sure what the other trainers were up to. I vaguely heard Sara say something, but I was already in the middle of my own headbutt attack, hitting the Aron right in _his_ side.

I wasn't sure how long the two of us traded headbutts back and forth, but it went on for quite a while. I was vaguely aware of the Mareep spreading cotton-like spores of wool around, and they clung to me and slowed me down a lot, but it didn't do anything else. Neither did the Wartortle; I wasn't sure what had happened to him. And towards the end I was getting worried - the Aron's attacks weren't that strong, but they were adding up, and a lot of the punch was being taken out of my own attacks by his metal armor.

But eventually I felt a surge of triumph as he wobbled. I grinned and pushed aside my own weariness, and ran forward again…

The Aron lost its footing and flew backwards under the force of my attack. It landed heavily on the ground, dirt flying into the air from the impact. It almost looked like it would get back onto its feet and come back at me… but it slumped back down, defeated.

"Yeah! That's what you get when you mess with the Phoenix!" I shouted victoriously and caught sight of the Aron's trainer. He was wide-eyed in clear disbelief. Ha! It would take more than that steely defense to stop _me_.

Then triumph turned to surprise as the Mareep I had dismissed suddenly slammed into me with a takedown attack.

On its own the attack would have been barely noticeable - physical attacks were obviously not what the Mareep was good at - but I was barely standing up after the Aron's repeated headbutts.

I felt the ground vanish beneath my feet as the attack sent _me_ flying, and the landing took the breath out of me. I caught sight of Sara, disappointment clear on her face… and then the world went fuzzy, and I felt my eyes close as the weariness of my body overwhelmed my will and dragged me into a forced rest.

* * *

When I woke up I found myself back at Sara's home. I cringed, realizing how much time must have passed. Sara usually brought us to the gym after she got back from school, and we would spend several hours there before going home; if we were back home…

I smelled the scent of dinner nearby and looked around. I was in the kitchen, on the small rug set there for me. And near the entrance to the kitchen were three food dishes, each with a label - Opal, Sonata, and Phoenix. Sonata’s bowl was empty, but mine and Opal’s were full. I realized how hungry I was - the fight had taken more out of me than I wanted to admit (so I didn’t) - and I waddled over to the bowl and began eating the small cubes of food piled in it. The cubes were satisfyingly crunchy and tasted amazing, making dinner and breakfast exciting parts of the day.

I finished emptying the bowl and glanced over at Opal’s bowl. The dark type didn’t scare _me_ , but it was easy to see how somebody _would_ be scared of him, with those creepy rings of light and demonic looking eyes, and I didn’t like him that much. He had a tendency to just show up out of nowhere and startle me - I mean, _other_ Pokemon - so I preferred to keep him away from me.

I walked over to his bowl and flipped it over, causing his lighter-colored cubes to spill out on the floor.

With that taken care of I walked back to my rug and sprawled out on it. The rug was shaped like a half-circle, which made it perfect to stretch out on - I could rest my body on the soft fabric, and rest my head on the cool tile of the kitchen, which was really nice to relax on. It was my part of Sara’s house - Opal had the entire second floor, because Sonata and I couldn’t climb the stairs, and Sonata had the sunroom at the back of the house where she took care of various plants, but the kitchen was mine. There were plenty of cabinets to hide inside of, and the chairs and table made for good places to lurk under too. Sara’s mom hadn’t been happy about it at first and had tried to move me to other rooms, but none of them were as comfortable as this room. Eventually she had relented and stopped moving my things out of the kitchen.

Those things included the rug I was resting on, the bowl I had just eaten out of, a soft blanket that was presently wedged under the lip of a nearby cabinet, a thick branch Sara had gotten from a pet store for me to chew on… and my most valuable treasure of all: a small shard of eggshell.

I fished it out from where it was hidden in the soft blanket and propped it up where I could see it. It had come from my egg - I wasn’t sure what had ended up happening with the rest of the egg after I had burst through it, but I had made sure to keep this piece. It was the only thing I had to connect me with my father - he had never seen me, but that little piece of eggshell was something we had both seen at some point. I don’t know where I got the idea from, but… with it around, it felt like I had a connection to him, and at some point I had started talking to it in order to talk to him.

“Hi, dad. I had a great fight today! There was a Wartortle, and a Mareep, and an _Aron_. He was tough, but I took him down. I’m getting stronger every day, just like I told you I would. I think I’ll be able to beat that Steelix at the gym soon, too.” I paused, thinking of what else I had to say.

“Sara told us that school is going to let out soon for a week - she called it spring break - and she wants to go with John and challenge another gym during it. I’m excited - my first gym challenge! I’m going to do my best, but I know Sara will win anyways. She’s gotten six badges even without my help; with it… we’ll beat all the gyms, I know it.” I paused and smiled. “You’ll be proud of me.” I sat for another minute, trying to think of anything else I wanted to say.

“Phoenix? Are you busy?” Sonata’s voice came from the hallway beyond the kitchen, and I quickly whispered to the eggshell. “Gotta go - goodnight, dad!” I hid it back inside the blanket and skittered over to the doorway. “Nope! Need something?”

The Cherubi was hopping down the hallway and stopped just before another jump. “Yay! Can you help me? I think my Rawst berry tree needs to be moved to another pot; can you help me fill a new one with dirt?”

I grinned and nodded my head. I was good at moving dirt around - better than Sonata and Opal put together, even with how good the Umbreon managed to be at digging with his forepaws. Getting the berry bush moved over would take no time at all with my help, and I eagerly skittered down the hallway towards Sonata’s sunroom.

* * *

Opal stepped out from the shadows of the table as the Trapinch skittered off down the hallway. He whispered a quiet ‘Thanks, Sonata’, then crossed the kitchen to his bowl of food before sighing at the mess Phoenix had made.

Well. At least with Sonata distracting the rowdy Pokemon, there wouldn’t be anybody trying to chase him away in the middle of his meal. Even if it was scattered all over the floor.


	3. Phoenix's Story - Chapter 3

I woke up early the next morning, tucked away in one of the cabinets beneath my blanket. I peeked carefully out of the cabinet door and immediately hunkered back down inside the cabinet. Sara was in the kitchen filling our bowls with food, while her mom sat at the table with a glass of berry juice in her hand. Even though I was sure Sara's mother didn't like me too much, that wasn't what had worried me. Not that anything would worry me! I just didn't want to lose the element of surprise.

I moved even slower this time and pushed the cabinet door open the barest of tiny cracks, and stared carefully at the Umbreon also in the kitchen. In _my_ kitchen.

He was sitting patiently up by his bowl and glancing up at Sara. The trainer was talking to her mother while opening a new bag of food and measuring out a portion.

"I saw your progress report. Looks like your grade is slipping in math again."

Sara flinched and looked away from the food. "It's just a fluke; there was a substitute who didn't know the subject, and the entire class bombed the test."

"Mm. Flen said John's grades are still good."

"That's because John cheated and looked up how to do it online."

"It's not cheating to go learn on your own."

"Yeah, but it _is_ cheating to give a Sneasel a cheat sheet of formulas, then have it fog up your sunglasses with the formulas in the middle of the test. I _will_ learn how he taught Book to pull that off, but it's still cheating."

I caught Sara's mom grinning out of the corner of my eye, though it vanished quickly. "Well, regardless, make sure you keep an eye on your own grades. If they drop any further, you'll spend spring break here studying."

"But moooommmm…"

"No buts! You knew the deal; your schoolwork comes first before any trainer excursions."

Sara sighed and nodded. She started to say more, but the Umbreon suddenly stretched out on the floor and whined pitifully. "Fooooooooood…"

Sara giggled and leaned down to scratch at the dark-type's ears. "Sorry Opal, just a second." She focused on the food and quickly finished filling his bowl with food. The Umbreon wagged happily and began chowing down, and Sara grabbed a half empty bag to fill Sonata's bowl up again.

"I'm going to skip the gym after school today, by the way."

"Oh? I thought you were trying to get that Trapinch trained up before the break; are you finally giving up on him?"

"No!" Sara dropped the bag back on the counter, looking suddenly embarrassed. "I-it's not that; I'm not giving up… it's just that Thomas is going to reach a PokeCenter soon and will call; I just want to ask him for some tips."

"Mm. Well, tell him your father and I said hello. And don't get so caught up talking that you forget to do your homework."

Sara rolled her eyes and nodded. "I won't, promise." She leaned down and put Sonata's full bowl next to Opal's, then picked mine up and began filling it up from a different bag.

"Okay." Sara's mother took a long drink from her glass, finishing off the remaining juice, and walked over to the counter to put the glass in the sink. "I'm off to work now. Have a good day at school. Love you, sweetie." She leaned over and planted a kiss on Sara's forehead, who blushed and looked down, then she walked out of the kitchen.

Sara finished filling my bowl with food and set it down beside Sonata's, then reached over to scratch Opal's head. "Gotta go get my backpack ready and head off to school; I'll be back a bit sooner than usual but you should have plenty of time to sleep."

The Umbreon paused between mouthfuls to wag and look up at Sara. "Okay! See you soon; stay safe!"

Sara grinned and left the kitchen after giving him a parting pat, and he went back to munching on the food in his bowl. His tail wagged behind him… making for an excellent target.

I slipped quietly out of the cabinet and skittered carefully towards the dark Pokemon, being careful not to make too much noise as I drew nearer. When I was close enough I opened my large jaws and lunged forwards to catch the tail right as it waved back towards me.

The Umbreon let out a startled " _UMBRE!!_ " as I bit down on his tail… and then my jaws clicked together around empty air. The Umbreon had vanished, disappearing off to who knows where as he fled the kitchen. I grinned in triumph at having chased off the nightmarish beast, and skittered towards my bowl to savor my reward.

Sara came by after a few minutes with a backpack slung over her shoulder. She frowned into the kitchen before grinning down at me. "Good morning Phoenix! I guess Opal's already turned in for the day; have some fun today, okay? We won't be going to the gym today, so don't feel you have to save up your energy for it. Sonata could use some more help moving dirt for the berries, and we'll want all we can get for the gym battle!"

I paused from eating to grin up at Sara, excited by the idea of battling a gym leader. "You got it!"

She watched me eat for a little before turning and leaving for school. I was too busy eating to check, but I thought I saw a frown on her face at one point. She was probably just thinking about how to beat the gym leader, and if Opal and Sonata would be able to handle it. There wasn't any doubt in my mind that I'd be able to handle it.

After finishing my breakfast I went to check on Sonata, but the Cherubi said she was fine and didn't need any more help at the moment. I beamed proudly - Sonata had seemed a little frazzled when I left last night, but apparently I had been such a great help at moving the dirt into the pots that she was caught up. It was an easy thing to do - I could pack a lot of dirt and sand in my mouth, and moving it around was no problem. And here Sonata had been worried I was overpacking the pots last night! I knew it would work that way.

I left the grass-type to her work, which at the moment seemed to be shifting dirt around to get at the seeds deep inside, and skittered back into the kitchen. There didn't seem to be anything else to work on so I retreated to my rug and began to gnaw on my branch. It was a satisfying feeling to dig my teeth into it and feel them grind against the rough surface, and I spent the day daydreaming of the victories that were sure to come while I chewed away.

Sonata came by at some point to eat, her leaves drooped wearily, but otherwise the day went by uneventfully. I tried once again to get up the stairs - I just _knew_ that Umbreon was up there, laughing at how he knew I couldn't get up to that floor - but as always it was too high for me to reach the first step, especially with my large head getting in the way.

Finally Sara came home. I heard her open the door and skittered down the hallway to meet her. "Yay! Gym time!"

I know Sara had _said_ we wouldn't be going, but I was pretty sure she had made that up. Why _wouldn't_ she want to go to the gym, especially with a Pokemon as strong as I was? It made much more sense that she had just said that so I would tire myself out and give the other Pokemon a fighting chance.

So it was a bit of a surprise when Sara shut the door behind her and shook her head. "Not today Phoenix. I have a phone call with Thomas; we need to talk about our plans."

I blinked at her and looked back at the door. "But… gym! There are other Pokemon; they aren't going to fight themselves! Let's go, let's go!" I jumped as much as I could - which wasn't much - and tried to skitter towards the door.

Sara caught me as I tried to push past her, and she turned me around to face back the way I had come. "No. Not today, Phoenix."

I exhaled angrily, ready to try again, but she stepped over me and walked into the kitchen. I followed after her and caught back up as she was opening a book on the table, her school bag dropped on the floor next to it. She heard me cross over the tiles and sighed. "Sonata? Can you play with Phoenix for a bit? I need to do some homework."

I heard the Cherubi moving from the sunroom and grumbled. "Fiiiiine!" I stomped off towards the sunroom and sprawled out on the rough carpet that covered that room.

Sonata didn't need any help still, and the sunroom was pleasantly warm. With nothing to do but look at the flowers - Sonata _did_ have a real talent for growing them, and they were spread evenly before the windows of the room to catch the sunlight - it was too easy to slip into a nap.

I didn't sleep for long - the sun was lower in the sky, but still shining through the window - but I discovered Sonata had fallen asleep by the time I awoke. There was still nothing to do but look at the flowers, and that had gotten boring even before I had woken up, so I skittered out of the sunroom and headed towards the kitchen.

I stopped just outside the doorway when I heard Sara's voice coming from inside. She sounded… angry? But also sad? I skittered a little closer to listen.

"...bite marks in his tail. Big ones! Sonata couldn't have made them if she tried; it _had_ to be from him! I don't even know how long it's been going on; I only saw it today because he fell asleep with his tail hanging off the bed. Otherwise he would have woken up when I tried to look. And now I'm wondering about his food; I thought he just wasn't needing to eat as much since we weren't on the road, but…" She trailed off and sighed.

"Are you sure? Opal would have said something if there was a problem, or just taken care of it himself." The other voice sounded tinny, almost distorted.

"No he wouldn't. You know how he is; he doesn't like causing problems, or hurting me. He knows I like Phoenix; he would have covered it up so I wouldn't get upset."

There was silence for a moment, then the other voice spoke reluctantly. "Yeah… I guess he would."

"And there's still the other problems; he barely listens to a word I say! He ignores anything useful and just charges right at the meanest looking Pokemon he can find. Yesterday he went straight up against an _Aron_ of all things!”

“Ouch. What’d he do, throw dirt at it?”

“He _headbutted_ the thing! And not just once; repeatedly! They kept running into each other until the Aron fainted, and then the Mareep finished him off.”

“Wait - that little Trapinch _beat_ the Aron?”

“Yeah! And I think that’s part of the problem; it’d be one thing if he lost every now and then and could learn some humility, but he just keeps winning! I think that just makes him even more convinced he doesn’t need to listen to me.”

The voices went quiet for a moment, and I leaned closer to make sure something hadn’t changed. It was obvious Sara was talking about me, and I didn’t want to miss out, but I was starting to get confused - did this mean she hadn’t been happy? But… I had _won_ ; isn’t that what was important?

“That makes sense. Have you talked with Flen about it? I’m sure he’ll have some ideas.”

“No. He’s been going on trips lately and is out of town again. I talked to Perry about it and he suggested the double battles, so Phoenix could see how things work out when Pokemon listen, but that hasn’t gone anywhere either. And he just gets bored watching other Pokemon fight, or he demands to join in and fight whichever one he thinks is stronger.”

“Ick.”

I heard Sara sigh and grow quiet for a moment, before she started talking again in a much quieter voice. “Do you want him?”

“Sara!” The voice sounded shocked, but I barely noticed as my own blood ran cold. Had… had Sara just…

“I know, but I don’t know what else to do! He’s terrorizing Opal and he’s worse than useless this way; I can’t bring him into an actual battle and have any chance of winning! He’s strong, sure, and I like him, and… I want to take care of him, especially with what his father did… but… maybe he would be better off with somebody else? You’re finding a lot of stronger trainers out there; maybe one of them will beat him, so he’ll learn some humility and obedience...” I heard a sniffle come from Sara as she trailed off.

The voice was quiet for another moment, then sighed. “I… look, maybe I can take him for a little bit. You’re going to challenge one of the last two gyms over spring break, aren’t you? I can head towards one and pick him up from there, if that’s what you want to do.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you… I… I think that will help.” Sara sniffled again and I heard her shifting in place, followed by a forceful blowing sound into a tissue. “I’m sorry… I know you wanted to talk about that, but I just saw those bite marks and… ugh, there I go again. You! How are you doing?”

“I’m doing fine! We’re helping out in…”

The other voice continued on, but I didn’t want to listen anymore. I skittered quietly back towards the sunroom and hid underneath one of the stands for the plants. Sonata was still asleep. I thought about waking her up, but what would I say? Worse, what if she agreed with Sara?

I huddled by the window and tried to absorb what I had heard, tried to understand how everything had gone wrong. It just didn’t make sense - why would Sara want to get rid of me? I was her strongest Pokemon after all!

Eventually I heard footsteps going up the stairs and knew Sara had left the kitchen. I crept out from under the stand and skittered back to the kitchen. Sara was gone, just like I had thought, and the kitchen was empty and dark. I crept over to my rug, then slipped into the cabinet with my blanket. I sunk down into it and dug around for the eggshell.

I looked at the eggshell, but… I couldn’t think of what to say. If Sara was going to get rid of me, give me to somebody else… how did I even begin to tell dad that? I must have messed up really bad, but I had tried so hard to be strong; all the other Pokemon at the gym said I was a very strong Pokemon. How had that gone wrong? Why… why did Sara want to give me to somebody else? She was my trainer, I was her Pokemon; we were a team, and she was better off with my strength, I _knew_ that…

“Dad… I…” I stared at the eggshell, imagining a mighty Flygon looking back at me. But all I could see was a disappointed one. “Dad, I need help… I messed up.”

“What’s wrong? Can I help?”

I flinched as I heard an Espeon’s voice in my head. I quickly hid the eggshell back inside the blanket, and turned to peek out the cabinet. Clara was at the door to the kitchen - I recognized her; she was one of the gym leader’s Pokemon. She was _very_ strong; the first time I had seen her she had fought that Steelix, and had _won_. Even I hadn’t managed that - yet. But… what was she doing here?

I ducked back into the cabinet and let it close behind me. No way could I let such a strong Pokemon like her see I was having trouble.

“Hello? I know you’re there. Come out; I’m not going to hurt you.”

I barged out of the cabinet and puffed up my chest, trying to look larger. “I know! I’m Phoenix; I’m super strong, and nothing can hurt me!”

There was a musical sound in my head that reminded me of happy giggling. “Hello Phoenix! I’ve seen you around. You _are_ strong - but why are you crying?”

I blinked and shook my head. “I’m not crying! Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be at the gym?”

The Espeon stepped into the kitchen and sat on the floor. “I came to say hi to Opal, and help Sonata with her plants. Flen’s out of town so it’s a slow day at the gym, and there’s not really anything to do there.” I felt a bit of loneliness along with the voice in my head as Clara spoke, but it faded as she continued talking. “And I see… then… is there something going on, that would bother another Pokemon? Not a strong one like yourself obviously, but maybe a different one?” I felt a hint of amusement at Clara’s words, but her eyes looked at me with a helpful expression.

I thought back to the phone call and Sara’s words, and looked away. “W-well… it’s not bothering me… but… Sara wants to give me to somebody else.”

The Espeon blinked and her ears twitched in surprise. “What? Why would she do something like that? Where did you hear that from?”

“She told it to somebody just a bit ago. I think it was on a phone call. She said I was worse than useless... It’s not true though! I’m Phoenix; I’m a great Pokemon! Maybe I don’t _always_ do what she says, exactly, but I’m still the greatest Pokemon on her team!” I looked back at the Espeon and dared her to disagree.

“Ahhh… I see. You don’t do what she tells you to do, when she’s battling?”

“N-not always, but that’s… the stuff she tells me to do doesn’t make any sense! The moves she picks or the targets she wants me to go after aren’t the best ones; I’m just picking better ones! I’m _Phoenix_ ; I don’t need to be held back or wasted on weaker Pokemon! She… she knows that, right? She doesn’t need to get rid of me…”

The Espeon’s tail twitched behind her as I felt myself choke up inside as the confusion and betrayal rose up inside me. How could Sara not want me? _Me?_ And… if I didn’t belong on Sara’s team, a trainer who had already earned six badges and was well on her way to the seventh, with only two Pokemon… was… was I really that strong? The other Pokemon all said I was, even Clara had just said it, but if Sara didn’t think so…

“Phoenix… she doesn’t want to get rid of you. She loves you, just as much as she loves Sonata or Opal. But… she wants to be a great trainer, too! And she needs Pokemon who listen to her in order to do that. She can’t help them get stronger if they won’t do that.”

“But… I don’t need anything else; I’m already strong! Sara doesn’t need to help me get stronger, and I’m more than strong enough to help her beat _any_ of the other trainers! I’m the mighty Phoenix!”

The Espeon tilted her head and looked at me, as if just realizing something. The jewel above her nose glittered a little. “Phoenix… what does your name mean? Do you know how you were given it?”

I puffed up with pride again, remembering the story Sonata told me. “It’s a legend, about a _really_ strong bird! One that could fly forever, and controlled _fire_. Sara named me after it because of my father; she knew I’d be strong like him, as strong as a Phoenix!”

The Espeon’s expression changed, a distant look entering into her eyes. “That’s… not really it.”

I blinked back at her. “But… Sonata said…”

“Well, okay, it’s not _wrong_ , exactly; those are parts of the legend. But it’s not all of it. And it’s not why she gave you that name; Sara told Flen how she found your egg, and why she picked that name.”

“She did? What’d she say? It was after a great battle, wasn’t it, where my father fought off a ghost?”

The Espeon sighed a little and got a distant look, as if she was remembering something. “Yeah… Sara and John defeated the ghost out in the desert and ended the snowstorm. When it cleared and the sun came back out, Sara saw your father’s body. He had died from the exertion of holding off the ghost’s blizzard. Sara had wanted to bury him, because she felt he deserved it. John was a jerk about it like always, and said it was a waste of time, but Opal helped Sara dig a grave for him. While he was digging he found a nest of… he found your egg. When Sara saw your egg she realized what your father had _really_ been trying to do - what he had died doing. That’s when she decided to name you Phoenix.”

The Espeon grew silent again, and I wasn’t sure if that was the end of the story and I was still just missing something, but she finally started speaking again. “I didn’t understand it at first either; Flen had to explain it to me too. You’re right - a phoenix is a giant bird, and is tied to the ideas of fire and rebirth, so I didn’t understand why Sara would pick that name for a Trapinch. You’re really strong, but there are other strong creatures out there that have more in common with a Trapinch. And you aren’t your father in a new body, like the phoenix of today would be. So Flen dug out a book and read one of the earlier legends of the phoenix for me, before it got caught up in other stories and was changed to fit other ideas.”

Clara’s tail began to slowly slide back and forth over the tile behind her as she spoke. “In the original legends, in the very first ones, the phoenix wasn’t a fire-type. He was just a really strong bird. He could fly all over the world and gather treasures, and would build a nest out of them. Paintings, rich spices, gold, silver, other treasures. He would gather a priceless collection of riches… and one day he would place a single egg in the center of that nest.”

“The phoenix is a very strong bird, but like all birds they’re very vulnerable as babies. So the egg is very thick and protects the baby as it grows while the adult phoenix continues to gather riches and adds them to the nest. With so many valuable treasures there are a lot of threats that want to steal it and maybe harm the egg, and the father can’t protect it all the time _and_ continue gathering more treasure. So the thick shell keeps it safe until the baby is ready to hatch.”

Clara’s voice had been upbeat as she talked, but it suddenly grew sad. “But the same shell that was too hard for threats to break through is also too hard for the baby to break through. The father will come back to his nest one day and hear the baby scratching at the egg and know it’s ready to hatch, but that it can’t break through the shell.” The Espeon paused again and looked off to the side before her voice continues. “In stories today the phoenix legend is about being recreated - about the same creature getting old and dying, then being reborn as a younger creature. But in the original story it’s about dedication and sacrifice. About a creature that put aside its own desires for the benefit of something else. Because when the baby is ready to hatch, the father will hear it trying to get out, and will know that no force can shatter the shell.”

“So the father lays down in his nest, among all the treasures he spent his life collecting… and he sets himself on fire. The blaze consumes him and everything he spent his life working on, growing hotter and hotter as it does. The entire nest is destroyed, devoured in an inferno…” Clara’s voice grew stronger and more sing-song as she spoke, and I could almost see smoke around me as she described the scene. “...and so is the shell that traps the baby phoenix. The new bird emerges into the world because the adult gave up _everything_ to give it the chance to.”

Clara looked back at me with a serious expression. “That’s where your name comes from, Phoenix. Not because of your strength - you’re very strong, yes. And your father was strong too, strong enough to hold off rain and hail for weeks on end from what Sara and Kirii have told me. But it’s not because of his strength that you were named - it’s because of _what_ he fought for, not how well he fought.”

I sat there, stunned. I had known… I mean, I had known on some level that my father had been fighting the snow and the rain, but… I had never really realized that part of it. That he hadn’t been just trying to defeat a challenge, the way I would have been, but that he had been fighting for… me.

I slowly turned and stared at the cabinet that held my blanket, and the eggshell tucked safely inside it.

“It’s a tough name to live up to.”

Clara’s words startled me out of my thoughts. I looked back at her, confused. “What? I’m strong enough to; I can handle it! I can handle _anything_ , even that Steelix! I can handle a name!”

The Espeon smiled back at me. “It takes more than just your physical strength though. It’s not just being able to defeat other Pokemon, but about being able to know when _not_ to do that. Or when it’s more important to achieve some other goal instead.”

I stared at the Espeon like she had just grown a second head. _Not_ defeat the other Pokemon? “What’s more important than winning?”

Clara’s smile grew. “Oh, lots of things. Maybe instead of just winning against one Pokemon, you change the situation so that the rest of Sara’s team can win against all of the opponents. Or maybe winning isn’t important at all - your father could have gone off and fought the ghost that was causing the blizzard, after all. Why do you think he didn’t?”

I opened my mouth to answer… only to realize I didn’t actually have one. I _knew_ my father had been strong enough to fight anything! He had kept the sandstorm going for weeks after all. But… the ghost had kept the blizzard going for just as long. Longer, even. And there had been other Pokemon helping it; the Sneasel John had captured. Kirii hadn’t been able to fight it by herself, and had been hurt trying to, from what Sonata had told me. If my father had gone after it… then… he might have been hurt too. And if he had been hurt…

I looked up at Clara as the answer came to me. “Because... he was making sure I was safe. If he was hurt in the fight, or if somehow he lost, then he wouldn’t be able to protect me anymore.”

The Espeon nodded slowly at me. “Exactly. Sometimes winning doesn’t mean beating the opponent. Your father lost the fight against the Froslass - but he still _won_. He kept you safe, which was more important to him.” Clara leaned down and rubbed her head against the side of my face in a comforting gesture. “That’s why it’s important to pay attention to your trainer. You’re very strong, but that strength has to be used in the right way, for the right goals, or it doesn’t really help things. There are greater objectives than just doing as much damage as you can. And Sara is really good at focusing on those greater objective in fights. Sometimes the things she tells you might not make much sense, but that’s because she’s planning further ahead. She might not want you to go against the toughest Pokemon on the field - Sonata might have an advantage against it that you don’t. She might need you to go after a Pokemon that would hurt Sonata or Opal, so that they can do their part too. You might not be the one to take out the Froslass freezing over the desert, but you might be the one to hold her off and keep her from freezing everybody else until they can take her down, like your father did. Sometimes that’s the more important thing to do.”

I wasn’t sure what to think anymore and just stared into the darkness of the kitchen. I didn’t feel hurt or betrayed anymore, just… confused. Had I been wrong all this time? So determined to be stronger, that I had been… weak?

I thought back to the fight yesterday that Sara had talked about, the one against the Aron. The one against the Aron _and_ the Mareep. I had thought Sara had been disappointed because I had lost, and because the Mareep had been able to take me down… but… had it been because I just hadn’t listened to her? That she had been working on a bigger plan than I had realized?

I remembered the Wartortle. He hadn’t done much in the fight - just one attack on the Aron, and then… what had happened to him? There had been some electric attack from the Mareep after his attack, and then… I tried to think, but I couldn’t remember him doing anything else in the fight.

If I had focused on the Mareep, like Sara had told me to do, would the Wartortle have done more in the fight? Electric attacks didn’t bother me, but maybe they would hurt a Wartortle. Had Sara known that? Had she told me to go after the Mareep so the Wartortle could keep fighting with me?

That would have made the fight easier… not that I wouldn’t have beaten the Aron, but… if the trainer had another Pokemon after the Aron, I wouldn’t have been able to fight it very well. Had that been something else Sara had thought about?

“Phoenix? Are you okay?”

I slumped down onto the rug, still trying to understand. Everything had been upended, even my own name. It wasn’t a name of strength after all, it was...

No. It was still about strength. Just… more strength than I had known before. My father had been strong, _really_ strong, and not just physically. He _was_ strong enough to fight off the ghost’s blizzard… but he was strong inside too. It would be easy to run away. Or run towards it, like I had always done up until now. The story about the phoenix was about being stronger than that, stronger inside.

Or at least that’s how I was going to think about it. And no way was I going to turn out to be too weak for my own name!

I grinned up at Clara, even though I still felt conflicted and even hurt about what I had realized. Part of me wanted to cry at the thought, and at what I had learned of what my father had done… but no way was I going to cry in front of Clara. Or anybody. I was _Phoenix_! I was strong physically, _and_ devoted, and I was going to prove it to Sara. I would do such a good job of proving it that she wouldn't even dream of giving me away again! And I couldn’t do that by crying, could I? “I’m great! Thanks, Clara!”

* * *

“Clara? Are you okay? I felt pain from down here...” Opal appeared from the shadows and glanced towards the Espeon, then towards the sleeping Trapinch.

“I’m fine. Phoenix is just… having a hard time right now.” The soft blanket glowed slightly and pulled snug around the sleeping form as Clara tucked him in with her psychic powers.

“Oh. I can help; just give me a second…” His rings started to glow, but Clara stepped forward and nudged against his side to interrupt him.

“No, Opal. He’ll be okay, he just needs a little time.”

The Umbreon frowned and looked towards Clara uncertainly. “But… he’s hurting…”

Clara smiled softly and nodded. “I know. But sometimes that’s good. It’ll help him grow, and become a better Pokemon for Sara. A little hurt now will save him from a lot more later. Trust me.”

Opal hesitated, looking back and forth between the two Pokemon, then nodded slowly. “Sara’s been having trouble with him… you’re _sure_ this will help? She’s been trying to ask Flen for help for a while now…” The Umbreon slowly walked towards the door from the kitchen so their voices wouldn’t wake the Trapinch.

“I’m sure. He’ll be better tomorrow, I promise.”

“Okay. How have you and Flen been, anyways? He’s been taking a lot of trips out of town - what’s that been about?”

Clara grumbled under her breath as she followed after the Umbreon. “I don’t know. Flen won’t tell me, and he hides it if I try and look in his mind. And he has no problem with bringing the rest of our team along; he just won’t let me come with him. I think it’s something for the gym, some surprise he doesn’t want to ruin before it’s ready. Nobody else knows what it’s about either; they’re kept in the Pokeball the whole time.”

Opal’s rings glowed a little as he grinned back at the Espeon. “Ahh… that makes sense. He did feel a little sad the last time I saw him; maybe he’s found something new to add to the gym that will help cheer him up.”

Clara brightened a little in the dim room. “I hope so! It’ll be good to see him smiling more. And he always has the best surprises.” Twin chiming sounds softly rang through the air as the two Pokemon hopped up the stairs, leaving the Trapinch alone with his dreams.


	4. Phoenix's Story - Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion of Phoenix's story.

The next day passed slowly. I was still confused by everything, from what Sara had said on the phone to what Clara had told me that night. I ate the breakfast Sara had left for me much slower than I usually did, and just waited in the kitchen for her to come back from school. I didn't even mess with Opal's food this time. 

When Sara finally came home we went to the gym, but this time instead of running off to brawl with another Pokemon I waited beside her and Sonata. I _wanted_ to go challenge the other Pokemon… but that wouldn’t be the strong thing for me to do, and that thought was enough to stay by Sara. That seemed to surprise her, but… she didn’t seem upset by it. Which just confused me more - I had always thought Sara had been proud of me immediately fighting down any of the other Pokemon that might be a challenge, but… she seemed happier that I was just waiting there with her. And even though I had decided to show my strength this way instead, it was still confusing deep down inside.

I watched the other trainers and Pokemon go about their routines, noticing for the first time that they were all far more focused on their own exercises than on trying to pose a challenge to Sara. Sara watched them too, and I saw a sort of calculation in her expression. She was _learning_ something by watching them. I wasn't sure what it was, but I was sure that observing was teaching her something. Something I had missed out on by not watching. Something I had ignored when I had ignored her.

For the hundredth time I realized just how weak I had been.

After about half an hour Clara ran out of the back office and dashed across the gym, right in between a Nidorino fighting a Meowth. She ran to the doors right as they opened and jumped into Flen's arms as he stepped through them. He hugged her and they grew silent for a moment, a variety of expressions passing over their faces as they spoke silently to each other.

But eventually Flen looked across the gym at Sara. No - at me.

Clara hopped down as Flen walked over and greeted Sara. I didn't pay much attention to that, instead wondering what Clara was up to. She had a _look_ on her face, like she was plotting something. In fact, I was so focused on her that it came as a surprise when I heard Flen ask Sara for a battle.

"A battle? You want another rematch between Opal and Clara?"

Flen grinned but shook his head. "Not quite. I was thinking of something a little different. All three of your Pokemon battling against…" He paused as he pulled a Pokeball off his belt, the small orb growing in size. "...Obsidian?"

I whipped around to look at Flen, completely ignoring Clara. I knew _that_ name.

Sara _hesitated_. I wanted to jump up and down; of course we wanted to fight him! How was this even a question, much less one to think over?!

"I don't know…" She looked down at me and I started to yell up at her… … ...then I remembered what Clara had said, and I flinched. Of course. This would be an incredibly difficult battle, even three on one. If Sara couldn't trust me to follow her plan, we wouldn't have a chance.

I had to be strong. I had to show her I could do it. That Phoenix _would_ be strong enough to pull off the battle.

I lowered my head and took a step back, trying to force myself to calm down.

"Though… Phoenix has been different today. Maybe he could… okay. Let's do it!" Sara clapped her hands together and pulled out another Pokeball, pointing it between myself and Sonata.

Opal appeared in between us, mouth open in a fearsome snarl and eyes glinting ominously. I started to rush forward and attack in response to his obvious challenge, but the ground shook underneath me as something _huge_ settled onto the gym floor, and it threw off my balance. I climbed back up and looked at Opal as I heard him yawn and saw him close his mouth, only then realizing he hadn't been challenging me.

"Good morning Sara! What are we… oh…" Opal glanced at something behind me and lifted his head up.

And up.

And _up_.

I turned to look too, and saw the _Steelix_ rising up behind Flen. It was huge, and had to bend down to keep from bumping against the ceiling. It dwarfed all of us and made a slow rumbling noise as it stretched, unwinding over the gym floor.

I grinned. This was going to be fun. I started to move towards the massive Steelix… but paused just in time. No. There were _two_ fights I needed to win here, not just one. I glanced back behind me, towards Sara, and waited.

She looked up at the Steelix before gulping, then looked back down at the three of us. "Okay. Obsidian has a lot of physical defense, so Sonata's going to have the best shot at hurting him. Opal, you keep her safe; Phoenix, try and distract him with Sand Attack and Sand Tomb. Sonata, charge up Solar Beam and hammer him with it; that'll be our strategy to start with. We can do this!" I had the feeling Sara wasn't quite sure we could even though she said that, but I took encouragement anyways. _I_ knew we could!

The two trainers stepped to different sides of the field, and the rest of the Pokemon cleared the floor. I watched the Steelix as his massive head wove back and forth through the air above us, light glinting off the armor that covered every part of him, just waiting for the chance to…

"Go!"

Sara's voice set me in motion and I charged forward with a yell. I was dimly aware of Opal and Sonata moving off to the side, away from my advance, but I put them out of my mind for now. I had a goal - distract the Steelix. I closed the distance toward him before suddenly turning sideways, skidding from my momentum and sending up the dust I had gathered with each step into the air in a thin cloud right as my opponent brought its head downwards to slam into me.

I heard an annoyed roar come from the massive serpent as his unprotected eyes were suddenly stung by the dust, and I saw him waiver. It wasn't much, but it was enough for me to skitter out of the way right before the heavy head slammed down where I had been just a second before. I grinned and dashed away, feeling exhilarated. Now I could turn around and return the favor, slam right into _him_ in a Headbutt attack…

I heard Sara call out from the side. "Good job Phoenix! Now Sand Tomb!"

Right! I had something more important to do. I stopped turning and looked over the massive Steelix. How would I even manage to trap something that large in the ground, especially on this hard floor? I frowned, trying to think… then grinned. I didn't have to trap all of it; I just had to slow it down. Distract it. It didn't matter if I caught everything.

I tilted to one side, raising my left side in the air, and paused there. I would have to time this _just_ right…

The Steelix started to move, and I watched… there! His body was all supported by that one bit there, and it was strained from the turn. I slammed my body down into the ground as hard as I could, feeling the shockwave ripple out through the floor until… yes!

The ground rippled under the Steelix and threw him off balance. I heard him roar as he started falling. I glared up at him and roared back defiantly, yelling at the top of my lungs.

I don't think anybody heard me over all the sound the Steelix was making, but I did it anyways.

I saw the Steelix's eyes narrow at me as it fell, and I was suddenly aware that it had twisted in its fall. It was no longer just falling - it was falling on _me_.

I gulped and tried to move, knowing I wouldn't be fast enough…

I felt the air hum with energy as a ray of intense light came from the side of the gym and _rammed_ the Steelix, shoving it aside and causing a loud screeching sound as the metal armor scraped over the floor.

I was suddenly safe from falling Pokemon, but I was stunned. What had _that_ been?!?

I looked towards where the beam had come from… but only Sonata and Opal were there. Sonata had a faint black glow around her and Opal seemed to be concentrating - Helping Hand? But what…

Sonata beamed a little as Sara called out again. "Great job, Sonata! Charge up for another one, hit it again!"

The Cherubi began to shimmer as light gathered around it, and I blinked again in understanding. _Sonata_ had done that?!

_Wow_.

My trainer was _awesome!_

I grinned and turned back towards the Steelix, watching it rise back up. I started to charge it again, getting ready for another Sand Attack… but the Steelix's tail came around in a movement far faster than I would have thought it capable of pulling off, and it slammed square into my side.

I was only aware of pain in my side as I felt strangely light… then I felt another jarring impact as I hit the ground, _hard_. _Ow_.

I felt my head still spinning and tried to get it under control. Everything was fuzzy, and I wasn't sure what I was looking at.. oh. Everything was upside down.

I _knew_ that Steelix was strong, but even I didn't think it could flip the entire gym upside down! What kind of craziness was Flen feeding that thing?! And where could Sara get some for me??

Wait, that wasn't right.

I felt a little embarrassed as I realized that the Steelix had just knocked _me_ upside down, instead of flipping the whole gym. Then I just felt angry - a _really_ strong Pokemon wouldn't have had to cheat like that, and _would_ have flipped over the entire gym instead of taking silly shortcuts like that.

I tried to roll over, but didn't manage to with my first try and instead just flailed my skimpy legs uselessly in the air. I saw the Steelix surge across the ceiling - no, the floor - towards Sonata, but Opal dashed in between her and the descending Iron Tail.

The Umbreon didn't budge an inch as the full force of the Steelix's strike hit him. I felt my jaw drop as I watched it. The same force that had sent me flying, and there Opal was just shrugging it off like a gentle breeze.

I realized suddenly that I had never actually seen the Umbreon in a fight before. I knew he looked scary, but he slept most of the time and only prowled around when I was asleep. And he never fought back against me… which… suddenly made me wonder. If he was _this_ strong, then why did he always run away when I fought him?

Another ray of blinding light shot from Sonata to slam into the Steelix, driving him back a little.

I suddenly began to feel outclassed as I watched the fight unfold upside down before me. Was I really strong enough to fight alongside Opal and Sonata, when they could do _that_ to the gargantuan Steelix?

You bet I was. I was _Phoenix_. And Sara had brought me into this fight too.

I rolled over again as the Steelix hit the ground. I was sure I would have managed without it, but the shockwave rolling through the ground helped push me up. I started to grin, getting ready to charge back into the fight and make that Steelix regret ignoring _me_ …

I felt my body suddenly grow warm, as if a wave of heat was suddenly running through me. I couldn’t move, and everything suddenly went dim, as if half the lights had just been shut off. A hum reached my ears… which… suddenly seemed to shift. My whole body felt like it was suddenly _stretching_ , growing longer, narrower, lighter. Two narrow lengths grew right in the center of my vision as I watched, and my vision itself seemed to change. Colors suddenly became richer, deeper, until a green tint suddenly slid over everything. I felt like a thin blanket had been drawn over the world and I was looking through it as it waved oddly with every slight motion of my head.

Then all at once the feeling was gone. The world still had the same green tint, and my body felt… _different_ , but the hum was gone and everything was as bright as before.

I paused, trying to understand what that had been, before I heard Sara call out over the sound of the Steelix lifting back up. “Phoenix!! Dragon Breath!”

Images sprang into my head to go with the words. A strange winged Pokemon I had never seen before taking in a deep breath, then exhaling a strange breath of… it wasn’t _fire_ , really, but there was some of that in it too. Power, sheer power that made the air tremble and combust as it passed through to a target.

I grinned, the instinctive movement somehow feeling odd, as if the muscles involved had moved… and then I skittered forward, finding myself surprised by how quickly I was moving. I was on the Steelix in no time, it’s huge form dwarfing me as it rose up to the ceiling once more. I inhaled, feeling power gathering in my lungs, feeling it build until it was ready to explode out of me…

And then I exhaled it right up at the Steelix’s face.

The air shimmered and exploded as the wave of energy passed through, wind whipping around in a vortex that stretched between my mouth and the Steelix. I felt myself getting pulled into it and had to dig my feet into the ground to stand firm, but I didn’t let up. I continued exhaling, the seconds stretching onwards as I hurled destruction up at the Steelix!

It didn’t do much against the thick metallic armor covering every inch of him, but it felt _good_.

I was dimly aware of Sara talking behind me, and the gym leader answering.

“I don’t believe it!”

“It’s not exactly common, but Pokemon _are_ known to evolve in the middle of a battle sometimes. Not all of them are polite enough to wait until everything has calmed down.”

“Not that! I mean, that’s neat and all, but… he’s actually _listening_ to me! Way to go, Phoenix! Sonata, one more should do it!”

I grinned with pride and leaned into the attack a bit more, seeing a shiver run through the Steelix as it tried to move but found it couldn’t. My attack had paralyzed it, leaving it immobile as more and more power pummelled against the unyielding armor. My attack wasn’t going to defeat it, not on its own… but then, that wasn’t what I was fighting for this time.

Light flared off to the side - was I able to see further to the side now? - as another ray of sunlight hurled from the Cherubi sheltered behind Opal. It crossed the gym in a second and struck the Steelix’s side, piercing the armor and causing whisps of smoke to curl up into the air. The massive serpent shuddered and roared out in anger and hurt, and for a moment I thought it was going to surge after Sonata one more time… but it sagged in place, giving one final wobble before it started to fall towards the ground.

Towards _me_.

I jumped backwards on instinct, not even knowing how I had done it. I had never been able to jump very high before, and certainly not _backwards_ ; my jaw was much too heavy to do anything like that. But I did it this time all the same, springing backwards into the air.

I watched dust fly into the air as the Steelix landed heavily on the ground… and didn’t get up. _Yes!_ “Booyah! That’s what you get when you mess with the Phoenix!”

I grinned again and looked down… and only then did I realize that I had never landed after jumping into the air. I had gone up, but not down. And… what was that odd humming sound?

I looked behind me, out of the corner of my eyes, and gasped in surprise. _Wings!_ There were _wings_ , beating rapidly at the air. And I wasn’t brown anymore, I was green! Even through the greenish tint I could still tell I had changed color, and had a tail now, and _wings!_

Wait. How was I moving them? Was I-

I suddenly dropped to the ground as I stopped flapping, the instinctive motion melting away as I thought about it. I landed softly - I hadn’t been that far up - but I swelled with pride anyways. I knew what this meant - I had evolved. I wasn’t a Trapinch anymore, but something else! Not a Flygon - I had seen pictures on Sara’s phone, and I didn’t look like that - but not a Trapinch either. The word suddenly popped into my head: Vibrava.

I was a Vibrava now.

And I could _fly!_

I grinned as I glanced back at my wings, moving them cautiously and jumping in excitement as I felt them move. Yes! Now I could get up those stairs, too! Ha! That meant Opal couldn’t hide anymore; I could follow him and fight him even in the- 

“You’re going to do _WHAT?!_ ”

I gulped as I heard Clara’s voice ring in my head, and saw the Espeon glaring at me from the seats off to the side of the gym. I had the sudden feeling I was about to be in trouble.

I just grinned and levitated up into the air, enjoying the thrill of hovering just off the ground. Whatever - let the trouble come. I could handle it.

I was _Phoenix_.

* * *

John grinned wildly as he walked towards the train station. Sara couldn't blame him - but she was busy thinking ahead.

"We _did it_ , Sara! We beat the gym, we're going to be in the Championship this summer!"

Sara smiled back. "Don't get too far ahead; we still have one more gym to beat."

The other trainer rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but it's the gym most trainers start at! We started backwards, with the middle difficulty gyms, and you beat the toughest gyms with just Opal and Sonata. This gym was a breeze - your ground type won against a water-type Marril; the next gym is even easier than this one!"

Sara blushed, remembering how nervous she had been at sending Phoenix in. She _had_ promised he would get to fight the leader, since he had been doing so well lately, but that had been before she had learned it was entirely a water type. She had considered just using Sonata and apologizing later… but he _had_ shown a lot of improvement, and he would be insufferable if she hadn't let him fight. In many ways he had gotten worse after evolving, even as he somehow got better. The little terror was a flying contradiction.

Which brought her to her current thoughts. "Maybe… okay, probably… but I'm not going to go to the gym. At least not right away."

"What? The championship starts a month after school lets out; you can't waste time! You have to register and get everything sorted with placements and stuff." The other trainer's grin vanished as he stared at her. "What are you going to be doing instead of getting the _last_ gym badge you need to compete with?"

"Getting another Pokemon."

" _You?!_ You're going to catch a Pokemon? A wild one?"

"I know, I know. I'm thinking of it more as a recruitment, but… yeah."

"Why? You've got a solid team already."

"I know, it's just…" She hesitated, looking down at the bag at her side. "It's Opal."

"Opal? What about him?"

"I just… feel kind of bad for him, I guess.”

“Hmm? How so?”

“Well… Sonata and Phoenix keep each other company, and are awake when we’re awake. Sonata tries to be friends with Opal but they don’t have many similar interests, and she’s up with the sun working on berries and other flowers. Phoenix still terrorizes him every chance he gets, and he spends most of his time awake when we’re all asleep. I know he spends time with Clara and a few other Pokemon from the gym when we’re home, like Tule and that Honchkrow… but when we’re away from town... I don’t think the few hours we’re both awake is really enough for him. I want to try and get another nocturnal Pokemon to keep him company.”

“Aahhh… this wouldn’t be an excuse to get a _Vulpix_ , would it? Like that one in that poster on your wall?” John looked back at her with a teasing grin.

“H-hey! That’s a Ninetales, but how do you know about that – when were you in my room!” Sara glared back at him, but he just laughed.

“Relax… your mom told me about it. While we were waiting for the train to leave Jyrrian City, actually; about how you have always liked Vulpixes, and had that cute little Vulpix doll when you were younger.”

“I am going to kill her for that.” Sara grumbled and looked down at the ground before shaking her head. “No… I’m not really sure where to find a Vulpix. I was thinking of a Ledyba actually - there’s supposed to be some yearly swarm thing near the end of May, where they all come together and then split off into new families. The year’s newborns that don’t find a new home to go to end up joining up with trainers, so it’s not like I’ll be nabbing a Pokemon from its family or anything. I can spend a few days at the swarm site and find somebody Opal likes. Even if I spend a week or so there I should be able to get to the last gym, beat it, and get registered for the Championship.”

“Heh. Sounds like a plan.” They kept walking for a bit more towards the train station before John grinned back at her. “You’re going to ask Flen to pull strings and let you start registering with just seven badges, aren’t you?”

Sara blushed and looked away, but not before John caught her embarrassment and started laughing again.

Sara sighed. Just a few more weeks of school… then it would finally be summer again.


End file.
